


Stress Ball

by Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat



Series: Slice of Life Smile For Me [13]
Category: Smile For Me (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Anger, Angst, Emotional Hurt, Forgiveness, Gen, Habit is just trying his best, Mentioned violence, Past Relationship(s), Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-26 11:14:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20741294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat/pseuds/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat
Summary: “I will answer any questions you have Kamal, but please let me say something first.”





	Stress Ball

**Author's Note:**

> This one is heavy,,,but I'm very happy with it. Please please PLEASE note that the Habismal is past, I don't want anyone going into this thinking that they're gonna end up happy. This isn't even full forgiveness, it's just the start of Kamal's journey to forgiving Habit. I hope you enjoy!

“You haven’t had coffee, have you?” Florian signed. Kamal sighed and nodded. “And you have your stress ball?” Kamal chuckled slightly.

“Which one of us is the parent here?” He asked. Florian rolled their eyes. 

“Just because you’re my dad doesn’t mean that I can’t make sure you’re okay. I know this is stressful for you. Thank you for doing it,” they signed, before hugging him tightly. Kamal hugged back just as tight, taking a couple of deep breaths. He pulled away and they smiled at each other for a moment. “Ready?”

“Nope. Let’s do it,” he said, opening the front door. 

The two of them walked through the neighborhood, Kamal finding any reason to fall behind. Florian would grab his hand, and sort of drag him along, and he would drag his feet, but follow after them. They did stop in front of the Varnia residence to look over some of the flowers in their front lawn, and Kamal used it as a moment to take some more deep breaths. They were beginning to climb the hill and you could distantly make out a certain house. Florian seemed to notice and took his hand to squeeze it. He gave them a strained smile and they gave him a more genuine one.

After a few minutes, they were standing on the front porch of the house Kamal had a sincere fear of. He took some more deep breaths and reached into his pocket to squeeze his stress ball. Florian rang the doorbell and they stood there in silence. Florian turned to him to sign something, but they didn’t get the chance before the door opened. ]

“Florian, it is good to see you! I’m glad that-” Habit cut himself off, just sort of staring at the two of them. Florian smiled and waved, although they did give Kamal a glance.

“H-hey Habit,” he said. The three of them stood in silence for another few minutes, before Habit stepped forward. He attempted to grab Kamal in a hug, but Kamal quickly side stepped him. They just looked at each other for a moment, before Habit straightened up and cleared his throat.

“It is good to see you Kamal! Why don’t you both come inside?” He said, gesturing to the door. Florian nodded and stepped inside. Kamal hesitated, but followed them. 

Whatever horrors Kamal expected to find inside his ex-boss’s house, he didn’t see. There weren't any teeth lining the walls, or tanks of laughing gas sitting in the corners, just a lot of house plants and floral paintings. It wasn’t dirty or damp, it was almost immaculate and the sunlight filtering in through the windows was such nice lighting. Kamal gulped when he felt Habit close the door behind them, and realized he had his back turned to the other man. He took a deep breath and followed Florian through the house to what looked like a living room. They gestured to a couch, and Kamal sat down. He sort of sank into it and that made him chuckle. The material was soft and fun to run his hands through, so he certainly didn’t mind it. Habit sat in a chair across from the couch. Kamal expected Florian to sit next to him, but they didn’t make a move to sit at all.

“I’m going to make tea. Have fun, and be nice,” they signed. Kamal felt panic rise in his chest, but he pushed it down. 

“Sure thing kiddo. I don’t want any though.” He wasn’t a big fan of tea in the first place, and he’d probably just end up throwing up on the floor. 

“Thank you Florian! That is very kind of you,” Habit said. They smiled at him, and looked to Kamal. They locked eyes and they gave him a tiny encouraging smile, before disappearing into the house. He and Habit just sat in silence for a few minutes. “So...how have you been Kamal?” Habit asked. He jumped, and smiled awkwardly.

“Oh, y’know...alright. Adjusting to having a kid is hard, but it’s worth it. Florian is definitely worth it.” Habit smiled at him, and he was pleased to see that there weren’t too many teeth. In fact, he seemed to be missing the one or two he had been all those years ago, so the smile was something that Kamal could take comfort in.

“I am glad you think so! I think you are being a very good parent to them, they always seem so happy when they visit me,” Habit said. Kamal nodded. 

“They’re happy to visit you, you seem to really be a positive influence on their life. Thanks for that by the way,” he said. Habit just smiled wider, and Kamal felt guilty for what he said next. “I’m honestly a little surprised they still want to see you.” 

Habit’s smile dropped, and Kamal felt an urge to apologize. But he didn’t. Part of him wanted so bad to apologize for making Habit get the “frownies”, but part of him was almost happy to see the doctor frowning. And an entirely different part of him hated the part of him that was satisfied with making Habit frown. There were so many different parts of him and emotions battling it out that he almost missed what Habit said next. 

“I am surprised as well...but they do, and I am very happy they do! And you are here now too, so everything will be okay!” 

Kamal couldn’t help it, he laughed. It sounded bitter, and he was glad it did. Habit looked almost afraid, and he was faintly aware that Florian reentered the room, completely tea free.

“You think everything is going to be okay just cuz I showed up here? Just cuz you’re gonna apologize? And then everything will go back to the way it was and we can all be a happy family or something?”

“No Kamal, I know that we wouldn’t be a family, I only meant-”

“You think I’m going to forgive you? Just like that?” Florian began to sign something, but he was too delirious to register it. He felt almost like he was making his way through the Habitat again, looking for the kid he had sent to execution. “After what you did to me? After what you tried to do to everyone else? You mocked me so bad I couldn’t stand to see you anymore! You always said you hated how Martha treated you, and then you turned around and did the same thing to me! You did it to Wallus too! You laid into him so bad he sealed himself up in a wall!

“And what about what you were going to do to everyone else? Where you really gonna steal all their teeth?” Habit shot a hurt look at Florian, who looked guilty. Kamal laughed again and stood up. “Of course they told me! They’re my damn kid! You were going to cause all those people so much pain, and you did hurt them! You stole their damn teeth Habit! How many people had you already done it to? What happened to them? Had you already taken teeth from the others?” 

“I’m sorry, I-” Habit was crying, but Kamal didn’t care.

“And the worst part? Do you know the worst part?” Habit shook his head. “I trusted you! I loved you! But that’s still not the worst, the worst is that I still love you! And I want to forgive you so bad! But after everything you’ve done I just don’t know if I can…” Kamal took a few deep breaths as he began to cry in earnest. Florian came over and gently pushed him back into the couch. They were crying too. He reached out to comfort them, but in the end, they were the one holding him. Habit sat on the other side of the room as both Boras looked at him. One of them begging him to say something, and the other trying to find it in himself to listen.

“I will answer any questions you have Kamal, but please let me say something first.” Kamal took a deep breath and nodded. “I do not have an excuse for how I acted. There isn’t any. What I did was without reason or sense. But I am deeply sorry. For all of it. I never meant to hurt you, I never meant to hurt anyone. My judgment was clouded and I wasn’t thinking straight. I thought I was doing the right thing. I was doing what I thought was best. 

“I know now that what I was doing was hurting a lot of people. I know that I haven’t earned your forgiveness, and I know that I may never earn it. And that’s okay! But…” And here he paused to look the two of them over. Florian was smiling at him encouragingly, and Kamal was looking at him, listening to what he had to say. “But, if you’d give me the chance, I would like to try for your forgiveness. I still love you too Kamal. Although I don’t think we mean it in the same way.” Habit chuckled wetly, feeling tears well up again. “And that’s okay too! I hope you and Parsley are happy together!”

Kamal just sat there for a moment. He hadn’t been expecting that. The crying, the apologies, yes, but not the way that Habit had spoken about forgiveness. Florian was looking at him, trying to keep their expression neutral, but looking hopeful anyways. He looked to Habit, who was smiling despite the tears rolling down his cheeks. “Do not worry about hurting my feelings. This is your decision to make Kamal.” Kamal laughed. 

That was so much closer to the Habit he was used to loving.

“I don’t know if I can forgive you Boris but…” Boris perked up at hearing his first name, and Florian grinned. Kamal reached out and Boris took his hands. “I think I can try.” Boris beamed at him, as did Florian, and he laughed. “Now, I understand that you’ve got quite a garden going. I don’t know much about plants, but I’d sure love to see it.” Boris hopped up quickly and began to ramble excitedly. Florian grabbed Kamal’s hand and shook it lightly in thanks. He grinned at them, and the two of them followed Boris to his greenhouse.

Kamal’s stress ball sat on the couch, completely forgotten.


End file.
